Lucy waited near the film centre in Temple Bar for Finn. They were going to see a great French film that had got brilliant reviews in the Ticket, and that she had texted him about.
‘Hey!’ he said, surprising her, and brushing his lips against her cheek. She liked it, and lightly kissed him back.
In the darkness they held hands, and she rested her head against his shoulder, listening to the rhythm of his breathing. Afterwards they went for a pizza and a drink.
‘Like your T-shirt.’ She smiled when he took off his leather jacket and revealed the pale-grey T-shirt with white stars and the words ‘Busy Stargazing’.
‘Nothing much else to do when you’re on the dole, so I put it on a shirt,’ he said sheepishly. They spent the next hour shouting out other busy things people like themselves on the dole could do.
‘Busy Cooking,’ she suggested. ‘Since I’ve just started my cooking course.’
‘Busy Sleeping.’ Finn laughed.
‘Busy Daydreaming.’ She added, ‘We all do a lot of that!’
‘Busy in Bed,’ he teased. ‘Well, some people might be.’
‘Busy Busking,’ she roared.
She really liked Finn, and was thrilled at the end of the night when he suggested meeting for lunch again in two days’ time and maybe hanging out for a few hours.
‘Busy Queuing,’ he called out as she stepped on the DART and headed for home.
‘Busy Hanging Out,’ she texted him five minutes later.
Lucy tossed and turned during the night, thinking of Finn and his T-shirt. He was so relaxed and easy and good fun, so different from Josh. She was more herself with him. He could accept her for who she was; there was none of that shit she had got from Josh. Things would get better, and in time she and Finn would have jobs and careers or whatever, but now when they both had nothing was a pretty good time to see if you liked a person or not or maybe could fall in love with them.
‘Love it,’ she yelled when she saw the familiar dole hatch and the words ‘Busy Queuing’ on Finn’s black T-shirt.
‘A guy on the bus asked me where I got it.’ He grinned.
They went to the Chinese on Dame Street for a shared lunch special, and then walked up to St Stephen’s Green and hung out there till it got too dark and cold.
‘We could go back to my place?’ he offered.
Finn was sharing a gaffe in Ranelagh with two old college friends, and they were busy playing Mario on an ancient Nintendo when she was introduced to them.
‘This is Duggy … he’s a film editor, and this is Karl. He’s a photographer.’
The guys greeted her warmly and then returned to their gaming as she and Finn disappeared to the kitchen and made a big pot of tea.
‘I’ve got free tickets to see the Bunny Crew in Whelan’s on Saturday night, if you fancy it,’ she offered.
‘Great, I saw them playing in the Mezz last year and they were brilliant.’
Lucy couldn’t believe it … they even liked the same bands.
‘I was thinking about you the other night when I was in bed,’ she said.
‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ he said, grinning lecherously.
‘No, Finn, I don’t mean like that …’ She blushed, embarrassed. ‘Well, I do, but I was thinking about your T-shirt. And then, seeing this new one today, I think they are kind of hot … like right on the button. You said that guy on the bus asked you about it … well, maybe other people would, too. Be interested, I mean.’
‘What the hell are you talking about, Lucy?’ Finn laughed.
‘Everyone thinks when you are on the dole that you are just dossing and bored out of your tree, which let’s face it, is partially true, but we all are trying to keep busy … doing things even if they are kind of stupid. We do keep trying things. We keep, as you say, busy. I just think that with so many of us on the dole that maybe there might be a bit of a market for your T-shirt.’
‘Sell my shirt?’ he said, pulling at it.
‘No, I mean print and make more of them, and see if we can sell them at one of the markets or on the internet. People like shirts. We used to sell loads in the shop. Some of the bands sold more T-shirts than CDs!’
‘People on the dole don’t have much money for buying T-shirts.’
‘You’ve had two new ones the last few days I’ve seen you.’
‘I suppose they … they’re a kind of statement.’
‘Exactly, Finn … that’s what I mean.’
‘You’re some girl,’ he said, pulling her towards him and kissing her.
‘I’m serious,’ she said, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him even closer.
‘Same here,’ said Finn, taking her hand and leading her into his room and closing the door behind them.